Life Debt
by CeredwenFlame
Summary: Rated for language.  A routine mission turns into a strange reunion.  A life saved, now the life debt repaid... What else will come of this?  You will have to read to find out.  Eliot/OC.  Please Read and Review - THANK YOU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Leverage is not mine. I am making no profit from this. I'm just playing with their world for a little while. Hopefully you get some enjoyment out of this. If so, please review and let me know you like it so I know it's worth continuing. Thank you.**

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Another day, another job.

That's what it started out as anyway. They were taking down a corrupt CEO for a safety equipment company that was cutting corners and making things more dangerous not safer. The woman who had called them had lost her son because of the inferior equipment. The CEO was trying to write it off as a one time fluke, one faulty device… But the deeper the team dug, the dirtier it got. He was into a few illegal things… typical scumbag sort of stuff. They needed proof though to nail him to the wall and it wasn't in his office. So here they were at the man's private Fort Knox. Sophie had the man distracted on some outing or another. It didn't matter, the grifter was grifting and it was gold… so far at least.

Hardison was now patched in to the man's security system and was disabling things to get them in. Nate was keeping close to where Sophie was in case there was trouble… He could at least provide her a momentary distraction if nothing else should the shit hit the fan… Which meant that Eliot and Parker were the ones actually going in. Once the security was bypassed and Parker got them quietly in the building, Eliot began doing systematic sweeps room by room… Parker keeping a look out for where something juicy might be hidden and Eliot keeping an eye out for trouble. When they found a promising hidden safe, Eliot left Parker to it to continue the sweep of the house.

It was a big house. He'd just heard Parker say she found something when he rounded a corner into a room and found a disturbing sight. There was a girl tied to a bed. Her hair was in her face but her body was laying in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. She had bruises all over her legs and her arms… and there was blood on the bed. From what, he didn't know.

"Shit." He cursed half under his breath.

"What's wrong Eliot?" Came Nathan's concerned tone.

"There's a girl, unconscious… beaten up pretty badly." He whispers. He knew the com didn't need much sound for them to hear him.

"How serious?"

"Don't know… can't tell from here."

"Check if it's bad enough we'll get her out…"

"Is that wise Nate?" Came Hardison's voice.

"If she's beaten up that badly I highly doubt she's there willingly."

"Point."

Eliot edged his way closer to the bed… He could see blood along her chin… So the blood was from a broken nose or a split lip. Her wrists looked raw and there was dried blood on the nylon rope that had been used… she'd been struggling to get free… Were this sexual her wrists wouldn't look like that. With a surprisingly gentle touch, he eased the hair from her face. His eyes went wide.

"Fuck." He cursed, still keeping his voice quiet, but the ear buds were more than sensitive enough to pick it up regardless.

"Eliot?"

"We're getting her out of here. Parker you done?"

"Almost."

"Get done."

"What's the matter Eliot?"

"Work now talk later." Came the gruff reply. He set about getting the girl untied. The team could hear the words he whispered to himself as if speaking to the unconscious girl.

"How the hell did you end up here?"

A pained moan escaped her lips as he had to move her to undo one of the knots.

He froze, looking at her… The girl's lashes fluttered against her cheeks but she didn't wake up. Sighing, he went back to task. When he finally had her freed, he gently scooped her up into his arms and began making his way downstairs…

"You done yet Parker?"

"Yeah done. Come on."

"You're going to have company in about three minutes get out now." Hardison hissed over the comm.

"Which direction?"

"Front Door… Get out now, and I'll reset everything."

He looked down to the woman in his arms and sighed. "Dammit they're gonna know someone was here…" Eliot muttered as he hastened his step. He just hoped that they could get far enough away before they realized their little prize wasn't there anymore. He and Parker were out of the building and the security reset with about 23 seconds to spare. They get to the van and Parker opens the back as Eliot kinda had his hands full.

Hardison looks at them. "So what's the deal Eliot?"

"I'll tell you when we're out of here…" Is all he says as he gently sets the girl down and tries to make sure she's comfortable.

"Parker, you stay back here with her and make sure the ride don't jostle her too much. Can't tell how much damage has been done just yet and I likely as shouldn't have carried her out of there… But I wasn't about to leave her for that monster to play with some more." He growls. Parker just kind of nodded and sat herself down.

They peeled out of there like bats out of hell… No one spoke until they were back to base. They watched as Eliot carefully picked the girl up and carried her upstairs. They were curious as to when their hitter had gained the ability to be so gentle. They wondered what was going on behind his blue eyes… They stayed quiet as he laid her on the couch and started tending to what wounds he could see… Parker edging closer only out of curiosity.

"Why did you save her?" Parker asks.

"Because she saved me once."

The crew suddenly came to life with questions…

"You know her." Sophie says in that tone of hers.

"Sort of. Her name's Nica and that's about all I know other than the fact that she could likely give Hardison a run for his money in intelligence. Don't know her full story but I do know that if it hadn't been for her I'd have been caught and likely killed… But that's a story for after… Right now… I'm gonna make sure she wakes back up." He says as he goes back to assessing her injuries.

She had several bruised ribs and multiple bruises all over her body. There were also the abrasions from the nylon cording on her wrists and ankles. She'd put up one hell of a struggle that was certain. She had a black eye, a split lip and likely a concussion if only because she was currently out cold. He cleaned her up and bandaged the few cuts and scrapes she had. IT looked like she'd gone a few rounds with a heavy hitter… Her wounds were somewhat defensive at least if you looked at their locations… She'd tried to shield herself. They hadn't wanted to kill her they'd wanted to make her suffer.

After that, he had to move away from the couch. He'd done what he could… the rest was up to her. "Well it's on her now."

"What are you intending to do when she does wake up, Eliot?" Nathan inquired.

"We'll talk to her, see what got her put there.. Who knows maybe she can help us take him down. Those wounds aren't because of rough sex, Nathan. Whoever did this to her, did it to punish her. They wanted her to hurt, to suffer…" He half growls. He knew they had to hit her pretty hard too... She'd been a heck of a fighter from what he could remember from when he'd ran into her the first time around.

Nathan just nodded. Eliot knew wounds because he caused them and received them so often… So he was going to trust his judgment until he had a reason not to.

"So do you want to tell us how you met Nica or?"

"I was in the field. We were in Nepal that time. There was a bunch of trouble stirring up. You get that from time to time. Peaceful a place as Nepal can be there are some pretty seedy areas. Where there's seedy areas there's bad people. Para military assholes lookin' to harass the locals and build themselves a power base." He pauses.

"We're heading through the pretty heavily wooded area and a bunch of my men were knocked out… Don't know what by… They never saw what hit them. The rest of us scattered. We all knew our way back to base and if we'd been ambushed like that, we had to think about getting back to base to regroup and complete the mission. We were near some temples… Probably why the lowlifes were hiding there… figured no one would think they'd get that close to a temple." He mutters shaking his head.

"I end up in something' of a clearing. I was out numbered there were seven of them and likely to be more if they made enough of a ruckus. Though we were close to the temple I didn't much hold out hope that some monk was going to come to my rescue. I wasn't green but neither was I quite what I've become now either… so seven to one, I figured I was going to get beat up pretty bad even if I took most of them with me." He remembers.

"The fight breaks out… and it's bad… They don't come one at a time… they're fairly smart. I got it a lot of good hits, took two down pretty fast… but they caught on too quick. I got hit hard enough to rattle my head pretty bad… and then, I hear this sharp clear whistle… Everyone freezes… There, on a big rock was this seeming wisp of a girl. The distraction gave me time enough to get my head cleared and I started fighting again… It was still pretty brutal. These vultures started circling that girl. Three of them… Last thing I saw before I got my head nearly put through a tree was her giving this coy little smirk." He sighs, shaking his head.

"I woke up later, in a fairly comfortable cot… I'd been cleaned up, bandaged up… My head was throbbin' like hell… but I made myself get up. I was in the temple that was nearest the clearing… I saw monks moving around… and one of them seemed to notice that I was looming in the doorway of the room I'd been put in. He bows in my direction and makes a motion to follow him… Color me curious so I follow. He leads me to a dining room sort of place and there, at the table is that girl from the clearing."

As he continues to tell the story of how he met Nica, the memory unfolds in his mind like a movie reel playing…

"Anchal does not speak English." Comes the soft voice of the young woman.

"But you do." Eliot comments.

"Please, sit. You are sure to be hungry… And yes, I do. My father was a missionary… he brought me with him to this place…" She says simply.

A bowl of rice and some vegetables is brought out for him.

"Where is your father now, darlin'?" He asks.

"Men like those you faced today took him from this world. He was the only family I had left. The monks were kind enough to take me in." She answered the questions but she was still vague enough at the same time.

"What's your name, if I may ask." Eliot inquired.

"I am called Nica. What is your name?"

"Eliot. So why ain't I unconscious back in that clearing still or worse?" He asks. He couldn't help it, he had to know.

"Those men trespass and are unwelcome here. They bring death and destruction and despair to these people… I could not simply leave you there, even if the physical danger to you had been dealt with. I asked the monks to help me bring you inside. Charan cleaned you up, I bandaged your wounds… You fight like this often, don't you?" Nica asked.

Eliot nodded. "Its part of what I do."

"What is it then that you do which requires you to fight like this?"

"I'm one of the men that goes out into the dark places of the world to make sure bad men can't hurt good people anymore." He explains.

Nica smiled at that. "As much as the monks try to teach a path of peace… humanity has not yet evolved to the point where peace can be achieved without the help of someone willing to dirty their hands… I have seen it happen around here a lot. I have been fortunate. Not only to be taught their ways and taught as a school student in normal senses… But I have been allowed to learn self defense. One of the monks has been teaching me Tai Chi since I was very little and in the town not too far from here is the birthplace of Budokai-do." She explains.

Eliot was shocked by that, and understandably so. Monks such as these were peace keepers… Harm no living thing kind of guys… She noticed his shock.

"After what happened to my father, I think that they wanted to ensure that I would be able to protect myself if the need arose. I am not just a girl, I am an outsider. Though I have lived here in Nepal longer than I ever lived in America. So long as I adhere to their practices while within the bounds of the temple, I am allowed to pursue things that are not their practices."

"Makes sense I guess."

"What are you and your men doing all the way out here?"

"Got some intel about some weapons dealers and some other nasty stuff… Thought we'd come in and try to stop them before they could do bigger damage than what they've been doin'."

"I can show you their camps."

"It's too risky darlin' thanks, but no."

She chuckled then, her voice echoing slightly in the nearly empty hall.

"You say this to the girl who took down the men left standing after you had fallen? I can handle my own and I know these trees like the back of my hand… They could not catch me. If you can be quiet, I can lead you… you can then remember the camps and lead your team back."

"I still don't like it."

She smiles. "I thank you for your concern… it has been a very long time since someone that was not a monk expressed any for me… But you wish to bring down the bad guys…and I can be of service to that… I would like them away from my home and if helping you is a way to make that happen… Then I am willing. They've taken the money and advantage of these people for far too long as it is." Nica said with deep conviction.

Eliot sighed… "Alright but if all hell breaks loose you get to safety."

She chuckles.. "If all hell breaks loose, I will." Of course this was dependant on what they considered to be hell breaking loose… but that was neither here nor there… The flash back ended.

"Not too long after that, we finally bring the smugglers, arms dealers and other assorted assholes down.… And she helped. She showed me every single camp in the area. She was quieter than a cat moving through those trees. It gave me the information I needed to help lead a much better attack against those monsters… In the end, the good guys won." Eliot explains.

"So how does a girl like that end up tied to a bed and beaten half to death?" Sophie asks.

"That's what I'd like to know." Eliot says with a sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Nica noticed as consciousness attempted to return, was pain. Her head throbbed heavily, her temples feeling like a blood vessel was about to burst. Her body felt like she'd gone toe to toe with a Mac truck and lost. The second thing she noticed, was that while it hurt like hell, she could move. Which was a distinct change in situations from when she'd last been conscious. She wanted to open her eyes, but the throbbing in her head made her stall that idea for the moment. A pained sound left her lips as she attempted to get up - it might make the throbbing worse or better after all - and hopefully better.

Eliot heard the pained moan and moved nearer to where he'd laid Nica down. He watched to see if she was truly waking up or if she'd just moved wrong in her unconsciousness and that was what had caused her to make that sound. It had been a couple of hours since they'd gotten back from the job and that she hadn't awakened in that time was worrisome. It might mean she had a concussion, but the only thing to do was wait and see if she woke up on her own. There was still an acceptable time table working even if he didn't like it.

Nica tried to sit up, but the movement did nothing for the throbbing in her head. A hiss of pain escaped her lips and a hand weakly moved to her head. Right, so she was waking up… Good to know. Eliot closed the distance and was about to help her up. Then thinking of his own quirks, he decided to let her know he was there first and that he wasn't going to hurt her… after all she hadn't opened her eyes yet so she wouldn't know she was in friendly territory. "Easy there darlin' you got knocked around pretty bad." Comes an oddly familiar drawl.

It made something spark to life in the recesses of memory - but the pain was making it hard. But it was the darlin' that did it… She'd only ever heard one person in her life speak like that. Then she was distracted as strong, calloused hands came to her shoulders and she tensed before she realized she was being helped into a sitting position. When no pain or restraints came, she made herself open her eyes… Of course it took her a few tries to succeed in it, her head just didn't want to work right. It felt like she was thinking through quicksand.

When her eyes finally did open, her vision was fiercely blurry and the light made the throbbing in her head even worse. She tried to turn away from the light but her body didn't seem to want to cooperate with her at the moment. She blinked away most of the blurry at least. When her vision finally cleared, her squinting jade green eyes moved back towards the entity that was still sitting in close proximity… Sitting on a coffee table it would seem. Which meant she'd been on a couch… But a couch where?

Her gaze flitted momentarily, taking stock of the surroundings before finally settling on the man who was still somewhat invading her personal space. Bleary eyes took in the face and were left blinking as there was something familiar about it… Memory struggled against sluggishness brought on by former unconsciousness… Gone was the military buzz cut, but the build was similar… Sturdy though more… matured? Perhaps that was it… Time and experience had marked their passage too… scars and the like… The last thing she took in were the eyes. For a moment green locked on to blue and memory started working almost right again.

Those blue eyes were familiar…. Familiar just like that southern drawl. In fact the two went with the same person in her memory… The files of memory tried to click into place and after what felt like an eternity, the name came back from the mists of memory… "E…Eliot?" She asked, confused.

The corners of his lips quirked up ever so slightly in something that was more a smirk than a smile. "So you do remember."

"W… Where am I?"

"You're safe darlin', no worries about that." Is all he says to that. Didn't elaborate, there'd be time for that… He was still studying her, looking for the effects of a concussion and any of the other side effects and unpleasantness that could come with taking a beating like she'd had done to her.

"How?"

He almost chuckled at that… "Did I tell you it's what I do?" He eyed her for a moment… "Now you try to relax some. With that shiner you got, I'm sure yer head's throbbin'. If you feel up to drinking some water we'll see if we can get you some ibuprofen at least… Might help."

"I will most certainly try… Mouth feels like it's had cotton in it." Nica comments. He moves off and soon enough comes back with a glass of cold water and a small bottle of ibuprofen. He set them down within her reach and then moved to pull a chair around so she wouldn't have to move much to look at him and he wouldn't have to keep sitting on the coffee table.

Nica's eyes assessed him in a way that was too familiar to Eliot. She was taking stock of him like he did of everyone… It made him wonder at what she'd gotten up to in the time since he'd seen her in Nepal. His posture spoke of alertness - of being ready to act. It seemed casual almost, to the untrained eye, but it was far from it. Of course she understood how hard a habit something like that was to break. Especially when you'd learned young that places that were supposed to be safe weren't always what they seemed.

She took the glass of water with a slightly shaky hand. She hated this feeling… She still wasn't quite back to equilibrium yet and the way her eyes narrowed told of her thoughts on the matter. At least she didn't feel like she was going to drop the glass, but it still wasn't comforting to know how badly she'd gotten hurt this time. She reached for the pills and took them, a slight grimace on her face as the water was cold enough that it made the throbbing in her head turn sharp a moment.

While she was trying to get back to some semblance of herself, Eliot took stock as well. She was taller now…. Probably around 5'6" if he had to guess. She was built a bit more solidly, but she was lithe not bulky. Someone who didn't know any better would think she was a dancer or something of that nature… But he already knew she was a fighter, martially trained even if he hadn't seen it first hand. He wasn't normally talkative, but he was curious as hell about more than a few things and the only way he was going to get his answers was to ask the questions.

"Got to admit Nica, I didn't think I'd ever see you again unless I ended up back in Nepal." He muses. Of course he didn't have to be an ass about it either…

"As much as the monks had come to think of me as their daughter, they wanted more for me than just life in a temple. Mine I suppose is a spirit not meant for such serenity - at least not yet. I went to college, graduated early and found myself at a loss. Growing up as I had made me a stranger to a world that should have been familiar." She explained.

"That still don't really explain how you ended up in some scumbag's manor tied up and beat to hell, darlin'" He says with a sigh… alright so maybe he did have to be a little bit of an ass…

"That instance was bad luck… As for the path which led me near there - once upon a time a little girl whose father had been cruelly taken from the world made a vow to do something with herself… to become a strong enough person to make sure that no other little kid had to feel that way. I wanted to be a person to shed light in the darkness of the world… Or as Anchal put it, to be a star unto the night. I wanted to help people, to make sure that the bad things worse people did could be stopped." She explains.

He raised a brow at that… "You ain't saying what I think you're saying… are you?" He asks.

She couldn't help but chuckle, though it hurt to do so. Damned bruised ribs. "Not exactly like you no. But I guess you could be credited with having shown me one of the ways to be what a little girl had dreamed in part but hadn't known how to put into reality. It was nice to know that there were other people out there that not only wanted to help people but were actually doing it. It made it real for me. It showed me that it didn't have to be a dream… So I worked on making it a reality."

"And just how did you go about that?"

"Well I'd already been learning martial arts from the time my father first brought me with him in Nepal. I just focused on the budokai-do a little more… Though I still keep up with my Tai Chi… I suppose after twenty years of taking it I'm something of a master now." She chuckles. "I focused on getting stronger and gaining more stamina… trying to hone the tools I was given both physically and mentally. I have a degree in international relations and I know several languages. I could have been an ambassador and probably done some good work that way… But having seen the dangers in the darkness I couldn't just turn a blind eye."

He blinked at her. "How old were you when your father took you along with him?"

"I turned four a month after we got to Nepal… and one of the monks who was going through some Tai Chi forms saw me watching… I could walk around on my own fine and he spoke a little English and asked me if I wanted to learn… the rest is as they say history." She chuckles… a hand going to her ribs as she winces from how the chuckling jostles the bruised ones…

"Why would he ever take a kid that young with him?" Eliot pondered aloud.

"He did not have much choice. My mother passed away before I was even a year old… I never knew either set of grandparents as they had already passed before I came into the world and neither of my parents had any siblings. I was not yet old enough to go into school and he had a rare opportunity… he took it. I am not sorry he did. I am sorry that some local unsavory characters took him away from me… but I would not trade the experiences I had for a normal childhood…" She says simply.

"How did you go to school?"

"Satellite and laptops mostly… though I learned Nepali fast enough. Of course the best time to learn a language is at that age, you don't know that you can't do it and you pick it up quicker." She says with a shrug… and winces only slightly.

"You okay?"

"I will be, give me a few days… bastard hit harder than I thought."

Color him curious yet again… "You say that as if you didn't notice it at the time you were bein' hit."

"I sort of didn't… Zen meditation… been doing it so long I can do it fast if I have to… put my mind somewhere else… Handy in those kinds of situation but coming back always sucks… a lot." She says with a deep sigh.

So color him impressed. He'd know of a few people that would use that technique of putting their mind somewhere else and he'd even done it himself a time or two. It helped you survive some things but she was right, coming back to awareness of yourself after that was a real bitch.

"So, you never did really tell me where we are, Eliot." Nica points out. He should have known she'd only let that go so long… But what to tell her?


	3. Chapter 3

"You're in a renovated loft area above McCrory's pub." Came a new voice. One that didn't have a southern drawl or much of an accent really. It was a strong voice though. "Specifically in the unofficial Headquarters for Leverage Consulting and Associates." The voice continued. Though it hurt to do so, Nica turned towards where the voice was coming from. The voice belonged to a man in a suit apparently. He had an air of authority to him… but there was something else, something she couldn't quite place.

"Nathan Ford." He says as he approaches and offers his hand.

"Nica." She responds, giving his hand a very firm shake.

"No surname?"

"Not for a very long time. I barely remember it and it's safer if I don't use one." She explains and Eliot could understand that one all too well… After all there were how many people that would like to see him dead?

Nate nodded…. "Forgive my interrupting your recovery and becoming reacquainted with Eliot.. But it is a curiosity that you were at the Montrose place under less than pleasant circumstances. Since we have a somewhat vested interest in him being brought to justice, I am sure you can understand the curiosity." He says, keeping his tone serious but not rude.

"Vested interest?" She asks, looking back at Eliot. Of course Eliot couldn't be much help right now because Nathan was technically the boss. Besides he was curious to see how the man with the plan handled this new addition to the variables in theirs.

"Before I get into why we were there, would you be so kind as to explain just how **you** ended up there?" Nate asks, a little more gently this time. Again, Nica looked to Eliot. She might not really be able to say that she truly knew him, but **he **was at least familiar.

Eliot nodded. "Go ahead darlin', you're safe here and I was going to ask anyway."

She sighs… "I was trying to help a friend. Kisa Naum's younger sister went missing and the last place she was seen, was in the company of one Pearson Montrose. If you think the legitimate surface company is shady that is nothing compared to what lay hidden behind a shiny veneer. There are many things he contributes to without being directly involved in a linkable way to. I can't prove it yet, but he is involved with some guys who trick young, would be immigrants, get them here and either put them to slave labor-esque work or sell them." She pauses, it was hard to tell this… It made her so mad.

"Kisa's sister was trying to leave Russia to come to America and surprise her big sister. Their family did not have enough money to send both girls away. So Kisa went and tried to work to get enough to bring her family over. Alexa Naum has been missing for just shy of 36 hours now." Nica explains. Eliot's eyes went wide. The window had shrunk exponentially in favor of finding the girl still in this country…

"And Mr. Montrose has enough money to cover what little tracks there might have been." Nate adds and Nica nods in agreement. "So what was your intent?"

"I am a young woman of many skills, Mr. Ford. I had done some research and I figured that my best bet would be to play a young foreigner trying to get elsewhere… If he took the bait and they tried anything, I could have followed the trail to Alexa and survived nearly anything they might have attempted. If that hadn't panned out, I do have other skills to fall back on. Information extraction techniques and the like."

"So what went wrong?"

"Kisa called at the exact wrong time. Bad luck, pure and simple. Since I was going in playing a part I couldn't just shut it off, that seems suspicious. They had confiscated my phone and I put up a token struggle, not wanting to tip my hand unless truly warranted. The phone went off, they answered it… Heard Kisa's voice and the jig was up. Since it was the last place her sister had been seen, she had spoken to Mr. Montrose. He didn't like her sniffing around and he figured I was some sort of bloodhound or some other kind of annoyance being sent to crack him. I never got the chance though." She sighs.

"I was playing a Nepali with limited English that had fallen on some bad luck and was trying desperately to get home. When the phone went off, one of the men restrained me and Mr. Montrose answered it. The next thing I knew, I was waking back up tied to a bed. From there, I had very little time to put my mind in another place before they started expressing their… displeasure."

Nathan had seen some of the damage that had been done to the young woman's body. It grated him just as much as it did Eliot to see those kinds of wounds on a woman's body… He and Eliot both winced at the tone of those last few words. Eliot had seen and somewhat felt what had been done to her since he had been the one to examine her in an attempt to make sure there was nothing life threatening going on. It brought to mind more unpleasant things that were best left un-thought.

It seemed that Pearson Montrose had been involved in even more dirty things than they'd previously fathomed. They now had records proving some of it - but not all. With this new development, the two men in the room wanted to nail the man to the wall that much harder. Human trafficking was a despicable thing and to be involved in that, in any way other than trying to stop it was something that should be punishable by death.

Something dawned on Eliot then… Montrose and his men had left Nica there unconscious. Now both she and some VERY sensitive information were gone… "Dammit." He mutters.

"What's the matter Eliot?" Nathan asks, a little concerned.

"They're going to think that Nica escaped somehow and stole the information." He replies in a matter of fact tone. Nathan paused at that, giving it full thought… "Could mean trouble… but for now at least we know what they're looking for… They're looking for Nica… Not us. Which buys us some time to figure out how to spin this."

Nica listened and she didn't really like what things were adding up to, but she supposed it couldn't be helped. It wasn't the first time she'd been in a tough spot and likely wouldn't be the last. She was a survivor and very adaptable… Time would tell though. "Once I'm healed up a bit more, I could always take a copy of the information and bait them with it…" She suggests.

Nathan pondered that… It could have merit and was about to voice that when Eliot spoke up. "No."

Nica raised a brow. "And why not?"

"It's too dangerous, that's why." He says in an almost sharp tone.

"I am going to forgive you considering we just re-met after nearly 10 years and I'm going to pass this off as you mixing up the image of the 17 year old girl in Nepal with the woman before you now… I am not incapable of taking care of myself, Eliot. Besides leading them on a merry goose chase right into the trap is much easier than what I was more than willing to put myself up to before you were made aware that I was stateside." She says in an even tone, though her displeasure flickered through those green eyes.

Eliot blinked at her. Okay, maybe she was right… but right now she was wounded and this guy was an even worse asshole than they'd thought… She'd gotten out of there this time but would she be so lucky the next time? Sure, they didn't know each other all that well… and yeah, maybe he was still seeing that 17 year old girl… But this man helped people that trafficked people and even if Nica was a complete and total stranger he still wouldn't have wanted her to even be within sight of the man.

"We'll see what happens. If you're healed up enough by the time the plan starts I guess I won't have much choice… Will I?" He asks in a gruff tone.

"No, you really won't. I do not want to get this off on the wrong foot, Eliot but I'm not some weak little princess that belongs in some tower somewhere. My armor's a little less bulky than yours is, but I'm still a knight all the same."

He sighed… he really didn't like this. "Fine… we'll see. When you think you're healed up enough we'll spar and I'll agree to this only if you can convince me that you won't be endangering yourself, the plan or the rest of the team. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough." she agrees.

It was interesting watching the battle of wills. He knew Eliot to be a very stubborn man, but it seemed that this young woman was at least as stubborn if not perhaps a hair more so. Of course Eliot was clearly confident that a few days of healing were not likely going to be enough for her to spar with him well enough to convince him she was okay. Nate looked at the girl. There was a glint in her eye that suggested that Eliot might just be surprised when that sparring session finally arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry for the extended delay in posting chapters. Work has been kicking my arse of late and while I've hand written things on notebook paper, actually having the mental energy to organize them and put them together has been problematic. I will try to post regularly again but unless things let up at work, I can't really make any guarantees. But I hope you enjoy it...**

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~ Flashback Two Months Prior ~

Madison Sendrick was a working, middle class mother. She sat across from Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux in a booth at McCrory's Pub. There were bags under her eyes and she looked tired almost to her very soul. Eyes that had cried too many tears looked up from the speck of nothing they'd been studying on the table while the woman gathered herself to speak.

"Caleb was a smart boy. He was getting a scholarship to Boston College. He and some friends decided to go climbing - one last round before they graduated…. I think they wanted to escape some of the stress end of term brings." The chuckle was bittersweet in tone… but she sobered quickly and continued. "His dad had taught him climbing from the time he was strong enough to do it. My ex-husband loved climbing. Caleb had gotten some new gear at that big outdoors store that just opened up. They carry Safe Climb USA gear almost exclusively. It isn't the only safety gear they make - they also do harnesses and other things for industry as well as recreation…" She paused again.

"Caleb's been climbing over half his life and the first time he uses Safe Climb gear he doesn't come back home… As much as that hurt, I was prepared to accept it as a fluke. Climbing, even with the proper gear is a risky hobby… we all knew that and accepted it. But he was always very careful… But I was prepared to accept the accident… Until Caleb's friend Jon came to me. Jon had his father, get the carabineers tested. Though they looked like proper, normal climbing gear the materials they had used were inferior which created a greater risk for failure. I was still thinking it a fluke - but Jon insisted that it was more than that. His father is a fairly wealthy businessman and he was all too willing to spend the money to buy a large batch of these clips and have them tested since his son engages in the same hobby." She sighs shaking her head.

"The results came back the same. I thought that somehow maybe a batch that had been marked bad had slipped through. Businesses that large, errors are going to happen at some point… So I did what any concerned parent would, I called the company and told them. I was told that the problem was being looked into. But despite their assurances, nothing ever came about. No product recalls, no warnings, nothing at all. How many people are going to get hurt because these things fail, Mr. Ford?" She asks.

"I went there you know, to talk to Mr. Montrose face to face. Again I was assured that it was being taken care of. Jon's father has tried to pursue things from another standpoint but so far none of our efforts have yielded any results. All these words being spoken that sounded good but said nothing and Mr. Montrose has the money and power to keep this tied up in courts and to pay off people to keep it quiet. It wasn't until I received some threatening letters that I started looking for another option Mr. Ford. I don't really know what I expect… I just want to make sure that no one else has to bury their child or loved one."

Nathan listened carefully watching the woman and processing the information. There had to be a reason that Mr. Montrose was trying to sweep this under the rug in such a manner. There had to be something he didn't want people to see. Of course it seemed the man had made a grave error in handling the situation. Had he pulled the clips with the same lot number as those Caleb had used, and made some financial restitution - even if it were small, it would have gone away. There would have been a small inquiry but handling it properly would have quickly ended it.

By offering platitudes and no action, it made Nate wonder just what the man was hiding. And there had to be something… Sophie was trying to comfort the woman, her skill at such things was astounding. After giving the matter due consideration without taking so long as to make the woman worry more, he finally nods. "Don't worry Mrs. Sendrick we will make certain that Mr. Montrose gives this situation the proper attention." He says simply.

"Thank you Mr. Ford… I know I can't bring my boy back but…maybe you can make sure no one else has to go through this." She says as she gets up and leaves. It was always these sorts of cases that really got to him. It made him think about Sam. That was a pain that wasn't going to even dull any time soon. He knew what it was like to be a parent burying a child. If there was something to be found here, they would find it and what happened to Caleb wouldn't happen to anyone else.

"So what are we going to do Nate?" Sophie asked.

"Let's see what Hardison can find on this Pearson Montrose." He says as he finishes his drink and moves to go upstairs. Sophie nods and follows.

Nathan presented the information he had gleaned from Mrs. Sendrick and Hardison went to work. The team busied themselves going about business as usual. That was until Hardison's voice broke through the near quiet.

He had started working on digging up dirt on Pearson Montrose. The deeper he dug the more he wanted to personally be the one to bring the guy down. "Awww HELL no." He muttered. He'd been cross referencing a few names that had come up a lot in reference to the CEO.

"Hardison?" Nate asked.

"Dude this guy is shady… bad shady. The company itself is legit even if he's been using it for bad business… but that isn't the problem." He began.

"What is?"

"There were several names that kept coming up, so I started cross checking them. Now no one was actually able to make any charges stick but the top five recurring names all belong to men suspected of human trafficking. I think this batch of inferior carabineers was just bad luck. Had the guy settle things we never would have had reason to look deeper and find the dirt beneath. This guy needs stopped… bad." Hardison said with due emphasis. If this man was supporting human traffickers that was just sick and wrong on so many levels in the hacker's book.

"So what are his vices?" Nate inquires.

"Boats and not just yachts - though he owns one. He likes racing boats - the faster the better. He collects rare wines and his wife likes expensive paintings and Faberge eggs. I wonder if she knows what else her husband does for a living."

"Any boating events coming up?"

"Yeah, it looks like there's one coming up in two weeks that he's been invited to. Invite only - the Neptune Classic."

"Well then, let's go steal ourselves a boat."

After running things, Sophie had gotten close enough to be granted access to things… It seemed that Mr. Montrose was not very faithful to his loyal wife… and the woman seemed very ignorant of all the activities her husband was getting up to away from her watchful eye. Soon, Sophie was luring Mr. Montrose off with enticements of expensive speed boats and some more intimate dealings… Which had presented the opportunity to get into the house since they'd learned that his wife was going to be at a spa all weekend.

Hardison had patched in to the man's security system and was disabling things to get them in. Nate was keeping close to where Sophie was in case there was trouble… He could at least provide her a momentary distraction if nothing else should the shit hit the fan… Which meant that Eliot and Parker were the ones actually going in. Once the security was bypassed and Parker got them quietly in the building, Eliot began doing systematic sweeps room by room… Parker keeping a look out for where something juicy might be hidden and Eliot keeping an eye out for trouble. When they found a promising hidden safe, Eliot left Parker to it to continue the sweep of the house.

It was a big house. He'd just heard Parker say she found something when he rounded a corner into a room and found a disturbing sight. There was a girl tied to a bed. Her hair was in her face but her body was laying in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. She had bruises all over her legs and her arms… and there was blood on the bed. From what, he didn't know…

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**Please Leave a Contribution in the Little Box**


	5. Chapter 5

"From there you know the story. We've been doing the best we can with what we have. We were turned on to the case over a month ago now. We have information now. We just have to figure out how best to use it against this man to get him to stop." Eliot explained.

"He's a businessman. He wants money. Greed is one of his main problems. You threaten that, he'll pay attention. If you have enough to make a case against him you may not be able to make it get to trial no matter how much you have against him. He might be able to keep it out of court. It depends on how much power those friends of his have. But we also have to find Alexa. Even if it's her body. I am a realist in these matters, I know that chances of finding her alive are very slim… But her family deserves to know what happened to her. And if at all possible Montrose and his men need to be stopped however we can manage it." Nica says softly.

"Well, Nica what you need to do right now is relax and recover. If we find out any more information we will share it with you. Hardison has the information about Alexa and if there's anything to be found, he'll find it. Eliot if he does, you follow up and keep Nica informed." Nate says in that tone of his. Eliot just nods.

"You going to be okay here darlin' or is there somewhere else you'd like to go?" Eliot inquires.

" I will be fine here Eliot… though a bed wouldn't be the worst thing in the world… Somehow though, I get the feeling that you won't be allowing me to be alone wherever I end up."

"I don't know you all that well Nica, but I think I know enough to know that you'd go after them… You have to give yourself time to heal or you're just going to get yourself hurt and you might lose your chance to find Alexa. I intend to keep you out of trouble long enough to let you heal enough to safely do what you intend anyway. I'm not stupid darlin'. So what do you intend to do?"

"I'm not leaving, Eliot. I will be part of this case because I have been part of it since before you found me. I will abide by your wishes because I cannot get around it at this time. But you are not getting rid of me I do not care if I have to stay right here on this couch to make sure I am not left out. If you try to keep me out of this Eliot, I will never forgive you and I will make you regret it." Nica says in a very serious tone.

Eliot couldn't help the little smirking smile that came to his lips. "Somehow I don't doubt that you would darlin'. It might be against my better judgment but you won't be kept out of this, you have my word on that, Nica." He affirms.

"Good we'll work together much better if you don't try to fight me." She chuckles… wincing as it pulls at her bruised ribs.

"I think you need to lay back and relax darlin'. You're not going to get better any faster if you keep pushing yourself." He reminds her.

She grumbled and groused at him, but she did lay back… "So, about a bed… couches are good temporarily but if I am to get well as quickly as I would like, then a real place to sleep would be advantageous." She says simply.

"We have a few of the apartments here renovated, you may have to wait for a bed to be put in one but there is that. And with a few key strokes I can have one delivered this afternoon." Hardison beamed.

"Thank you for the offer… Hardison." Nica says with a small smile. He seemed pleased that she had remembered his name after the brief introduction she'd had to the team.

"Where were you staying before you got caught, Nica?" Nate inquires.

"A low rent hotel… keeping up appearances. The sort that take cash and ask no questions… I took nothing with me… So there is nothing to retrieve from there. I have a place I keep things but that is not a place to recover in." She explains simply if a bit cryptically.

Eliot just nodded. He knew that routine, after all, he'd had to use it how many times himself? He thought about where he was staying… He knew the team or at least members of it probably knew about it by now - at least Parker… Since he was pretty sure she'd been there… not to harm anything or steal anything just because she was curious and he never answered her questions to her liking… It was more to prove she could than to actually accomplish anything.

He didn't have a big place, but he had a decent sized one… little bit outside the city. Had just enough of a back yard that he could grow some things and he had neighbors that knew he traveled a lot for work, didn't ask any hard questions and were nice enough folk. The lady next door was always happy to sack up his mail for him and she knew she was welcome to anything that came ripe in his garden while he was away so it wouldn't go to waste…

He had a pull out couch in the small living room and a nice sized bed. Rest of the place might look like it was hardly lived in - though he did have a very comfortable, functional kitchen since he loved to cook. But his bed? He'd spent a good deal of time and money on that. He knew the good a good night's sleep could do an injured body so he'd made certain that his bed was something of a sanctuary for him to return to when he got back from a job…. Though he would never make the offer under normal circumstances, he figured it would at least be a gesture of good faith for Nica to see from him.

If he offered to open up his safe haven to her, then she would know he wouldn't keep her out of the loop… and with her that close, he could make sure she didn't try to sneak off to go after the bad guy on her own - seemed like a win-win situation to him. In their line of work, you didn't get too many of those and there wasn't any reason to not take this one since it was being dangled so close in front of him.

"You can stay with me darlin', if you like. Figure that's the only way you'll really know I'm not trying to hide anything from you and I'll know you aren't trying to sneak off to go do the job without our help… And if anything happens with your injuries, I can tend most of it myself… and if it's something' I can't fix, I know the quickest way to the hospital." He offers,

The team might have questioned it, but the way he'd explained it made a lot of sense… and they knew how protective Eliot was of his team and they figured that since he'd first met Nica when she was 17 that he felt protective of her now. It wasn't that Eliot was soft, it was just that he didn't have a lot of good things in his life and so he treated the few good things he had really well to make sure he could keep them. Nica was a lot like him, that was probably another factor too. He knew the job she did every day, even if she might do it differently. She was a retrieval specialist, just like him… Dangerous job and more so for her than it was him in some cases.

Nica pondered Eliot's offer. She listened to his logic and his reasons and could see no faults to them. She also knew that he was offering her trust. Trust was a big thing in their world where you usually couldn't trust anyone…He was offering to take her to a place where he felt safe. It might not seem like a big thing to his teammates, but she could read between those particular lines. It would also let her keep track of him. It was his way of assuring her that he would not keep her out of the loop.

In all honesty, she was more comfortable accepting his offer than staying here. Here there were too many variables she couldn't control. As much as she knew Eliot trusted his team, she didn't yet know them and it wasn't something she was wholly comfortable with. And the fact that he was a trained field medic certainly didn't hurt. Finally, after weighing all the options and giving it as much careful consideration as she could considering the situation, she nods. "That sounds reasonable. I appreciate that you make the gesture to give me faith that I will not be left out of this." She says to Eliot.

"We have a few things to go over so why don't you stay on the couch for a bit until we wrap up things here and then Eliot can take you to where you'll be staying." Nate says diplomatically. Nica nods and the team gets back to plotting and planning to take down Montrose.

They were an odd bunch of people - A thief, a grifter, a hacker, a retrieval specialist, and whatever Nate was - the brains behind it all perhaps? But somehow they were five pieces of a puzzle and they made something more balanced. It was something that many strived for but few ever attained… It was good to see it however. Some part of her would always be a temple girl raised to strive for balance and enlightenment… Even if her path was a lot darker and twisted than the monks would have preferred it.


	6. Chapter 6

After the meeting was over, Eliot made his way back over to Nica. Her eyes were closed, but he had the feeling that she wasn't really sleeping. So, a test then. Slowly, he moved to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face. Before he could actually touch her, a hand came up and locked around his wrist. She had winced slightly at the pain the instinctual reaction had caused but she hadn't missed a beat regardless of her injuries. For a woman, her grip was surprisingly strong.

Her eyes opened and stared into his blue ones almost as if she were looking through him. He wasn't ashamed to admit that the intensity of that gaze made him slightly uncomfortable. "Good reflexes." Eliot comments.

"Necessary to our line of work." She replies simply.

"You weren't sleeping."

"Of course not. Merely attempting to relax while I listened to your team plan."

"Any thoughts on the matter?" He inquires.

"Not yet. There is still much to consider. Montrose will not make it easy and the window is almost closed for Alexa." Nica says with a deep sigh.

Eliot knew a little bit about human trafficking - you couldn't go to the countries he'd been to and not see it in some form or fashion. Nica was right, the window for finding Alexa was nearly closed already. However, there was a small chance that Montrose was keeping Alexa close to use against both Nica and Kisa. Nica was perceived to have the information that his team had stolen and so it stood to reason, that knowing Kisa and Nica were connected that Montrose might be keeping better track of Alexa in order to use her as a bargaining chip. Not that it was a good thing. It could be very bad for Alexa - especially if Montrose thought that hurting her would make them give up faster.

"Are you about ready to head out Nica?" Eliot asks.

"I suppose." She says quietly. She wasn't looking forward to attempting to stand. More of her ribs were bruised than weren't and she knew that no matter how careful she tried to be she was going to pull or strain something in attempt to get back on her feet. She might have a higher pain tolerance due to what she did for a living but no one enjoyed pain.

"Would you like some help, darlin'?"

"Like that I require it? Hardly. But in the interest of not further injuring myself it might be best." She admits with a sigh. Eliot nodded and being mindful of her injuries, he slipped an arm under hers and around to give her a bit of extra support. Though she winced and drew more than one sharp intake of breath from pain, she got to her feet with as little help from Eliot as possible.

Nica was glad that he didn't just try to sweep her up and carry her out even if her protesting soreness wished he had. Eliot knew that if he were hurt, even if he needed help that he'd like to try and do as much as possible himself. Considering the work Nica did, he figured that she'd be similar. So even though all his mama's teaching about how to treat a lady was screaming at him, he only supported her as much as she let him.

Once on her feet, Nica found it much easier to move. She moved more slowly, more carefully than she would normally but it wasn't as bad as the transitional positions were. That was where the pain became harder to ignore. Moving from sitting to standing and she was sure that moving from standing back to sitting would probably suck as well. At least now that she was upright she felt more like herself and that brought back some of her grace.

Going down to the truck had taken longer than she'd have liked but mentally she was already blocking a great deal of the pain. She couldn't help that instinct. It had been honed over time partially from martial arts, partially from meditation and the rest was just sheer will. She was a very stubborn individual. She had patience which she largely owed to the monks who had essentially raised her. Eliot noticed her more guarded movements… but he also noticed that she was moving easier than she had when she'd first stood up.

He helped her in to the truck and off they went. If Nica was surprised that they left the city proper, she didn't show it. Despite the fact that she looked like she wasn't paying attention, he knew she was. He did the same thing. She was making note of where they were going, picking out landmarks and committing things to her memory so that she could figure out how to get back to where they'd been and also where they were going. She was however, trying to relax as much as her battered body would allow her to.

"How much do you remember of what Montrose did to you?" Eliot inquires. He was curious to know, especially since she'd put her mind elsewhere. It might be unpleasant for her to recall, but he felt safer asking her now away from the others.

"Enough. Up until they stopped asking questions. This will heal but he will regret what he has done - not just to me, but to every woman whom has had the misfortune of knowing him." She says in a dark tone.

"They tried interrogation?"

"Yes, though his lackey was not very good at it. At first, they stayed away from hitting my face - aside from the one that split my lip… Of course that I got for spitting at his lackey." She chuckles… "He wanted to know who sent me, the usual really. I gave him no information. He would have found it very difficult to get answers out of me anyway. Then the moment he said he had enough, I started to zone out so I wouldn't feel what was coming. Though I did still try to protect myself as much as I could, but being bound made that difficult." She explains.

That made Eliot angry and his grip on the steering wheel betrayed what the rest of him hid. "We knew he was in to some bad things, but having proof now just makes matters worse. We're going to get Montrose and make sure he can't do anything to anyone ever again." Eliot comments, his voice holding a displeased growl in its tone.

"I know we will. Do not forget that I am helping to take him down Eliot. I was willing to end up handed over to the people who do his trafficking for him.. This will be much safer in the long run. You swore that you would not keep me out of this and I expect you to be a man of your word."

"I am… But I also expect you to be healed enough that you don't endanger yourself or the rest of the team before I let you go off after this guy Nica. It might have been almost ten years but you saved my life… I repay my debts." He says simply. Nica couldn't begrudge him that, she was the same way…

When they arrived, Nica sat up a little straighter, wincing slightly at the discomfort it caused her bruised ribs. She really hated being this beat up. It made her want to do at least double the damage to the man who'd caused this to her. She pushed her pain aside and quickly began to assess her new surroundings. It wasn't a very large home but it looked nice. It was nestled in a little wooded area and wasn't too far outside the city. It was quiet and though there were neighbors, the trees gave a good amount of privacy.

Eliot slipped from the truck and over to the passenger side. He opened the door for her, typical gentlemanly fashion - that was one thing his mother had instilled in him that he was never going to be able to get around. "You want help, or do you want to try it on your own?" He asks simply.

Nica ponders his question, her body hurt. Still she was not one to let her injuries hamper her… though she did intend to try and ensure she did no further injury to herself. "I will try it on my own." She replies. Eliot nods and takes only one step back so he could stay close enough to help her if it was needed. He knew she had to be hurting pretty bad just from the extent of bruising he'd seen when he did that cursory check. He knew most of her ribs had been bruised and he was certain there was more damage than just what he'd seen evidence of.

Slowly, she slipped from the truck, she took her time and tried to be careful in her movements. Still, she managed to move in a way that sent a searing pain through her ribs that was bad enough to steal her breath away and made her falter enough that she suddenly found herself ensconced in Eliot's arms. She could feel the solid strength of them and the contrast of his gentle hold on her. "You alright, darlin'?" He asks.

"I think so… I simply moved wrong. I cannot wait for this to be healed." She mutters. She hated this and it was nearly radiating from her how much being this hurt pissed her off.

"You are going to have to take it easy for the next few days to heal faster. It'll be weeks before the bruised ribs are completely healed and it'll be longer if you don't take it easy. The more you push yourself, the longer it's going to take your body to fix the damage that's been done to it and I know you know that. I don't like it when I'm hurt either, Nica… but sometimes you have to let someone take care of you if you want to get back to helping people faster." He says simply.

Nica sighs deeply. She knew he was right. The more she tried to push through her pain the more strain she was going to put on her already injured body. She shouldn't be stubborn in this but she just wanted to be better and she didn't like anyone seeing her in a weakened state. She knew Eliot though it was a long time ago. His team had been in the area long enough that she'd gotten to speak with him more than just that time after having rescued him. But she didn't know Eliot now… He might have made helping people a reality for her but there was so much more…

Finally, she looks up at him… "Fine, though it goes against all instinct… I will trust you to take care of me but remember that when I am better, anything that you do that I do not like you will be reminded of in great detail." She warns.

He couldn't help the chuckle that came at her threat. "Hint taken. I know you don't like it darlin' and I don't blame you for it. But you want to heal enough to help take down Montrose and you know we've got a time table we have to stick to - especially if we want to help Alexa. You're not going to be able to meet that deadline unless you let yourself heal some without pushing."

"You let me try to get out of the truck on my own to prove that to me, didn't you?" She asks, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Sometimes we all need painful lessons to drive the point home."

"You are an evil man." She quips, though there was a bit of a smile in her eyes.

"I don't like seeing a woman hurtin' Nica… and if letting you remember how hurt you really are was going to help you accept my help then I had to try." He says with a shrug.

"You keep this up and I am going to have to hurt you at some point." She teases…

Eliot chuckles at that. "You ready to go inside darlin' or do you just want to keep standing out here?"

"Inside would be preferable." She comments. Of course she would never admit that being in his arms wasn't the worst feeling in the world. It had perhaps been too long since she'd been this close to a man without violence being between them.

He nods and carefully sweeps her up, she winces only slightly at the initial lift but once he has her cradled in his arms, the discomfort quickly fades. It boggled her mind how he was able to carry her so gently and still manage to get the door open without hurting her or himself in the process… There was much more to Eliot than met the eye and she found herself wondering what it would take to figure the rest of it out.


	7. Chapter 7

Eliot brought her in and gently placed her on the couch. "How're you feelin?"

"Still very sore." She says with a sigh.

"If you don't mind, now that you're awake and aware, I'd like to do a better check and make sure there's not more damage than it seemed the first time around. I won't lie to you, it won't feel the greatest, but we should try to make certain you don't need a hospital." Eliot says in a calm, almost businesslike tone. He was concerned that there might be something more wrong than he'd been able to tell earlier. That check had been rushed and hadn't been very thorough mostly because he was sure she wouldn't have liked having an audience for it and there were other things that needed dealt with at the time. Now that they had the time, he'd like to make sure that she wasn't more damaged than she appeared.

Nica thought about it. It would be safer of course, she just wasn't over the moon for the idea of the pain that it was going to cause. Better to let Eliot check however, the longer she could avoid landing in a hospital, the better. "I suppose it would be wisest." She says with a small sigh. Eliot nodded, he could understand her reluctance. Were their situations reversed, he'd be about as thrilled as she seemed.

"So, how do we do this?" She inquires. "And how much clothing should I remove?"

Eliot blinked at her so quickly mentioning disrobing. "You don't need to be completely naked darlin'. But if you're comfortable enough, it would be easier with you in your bra and panties." He says in a strange tone. He was trying to keep his focus but it wasn't the easiest. Nica smiled a little at his discomfiture.

"I am not shy, Eliot." She says simply. "So, where would be best?"

"It'd probably be easier upstairs. The bed's bigger and there's nothin' to get in the way." Eliot explains.

Nica nods. "Then lead the way." She says as she carefully gets to her feet. Eliot turns and begins leading the way to the master bedroom. As sparse as what she'd seen of the rest of the house seemed, she was a little surprised by the bedroom. It was easy to see that this was his true haven - it showed from the carved wood king sized bed to the seemingly handmade furniture. It was impressive to say the least.

She moved over to the large bed and tried to pull off her shirt, however lifting her arms pulled at her ribs and not only did she noticeably wince, the gasp it pulled from her lips had Eliot's attention. She frowns. "It seems, I may need some help." She says in a slightly disgruntled tone, but then she smirks slightly as she looks to Eliot. "Pity I am wounded." She jokes, catching Eliot a bit off guard. She caught the look on his face and chuckled.

"I am not 17 anymore Eliot and I am not blind either. You are very attractive. Is it so wrong that I wish the situation were not due to unpleasant things?" She asks. Eliot dared to let himself think about that for a minute but no longer.

"I suppose not, darlin'. But best we not think about that at this particular time. At least not until after we make sure you don't need raced to the hospital for any reason." He says with a bit of a grin. He couldn't get started down that line of thought till after he made sure she was going to be okay here. Tempting though it might be, business had to come before anything else.

"Well let's get this over with then." Nica says as she watches him carefully. He had a look on his face she wasn't entirely certain how to read. He nods and closes the distance between them and just his proximity made Nica wish once more that she wasn't hurt. As gently as he could, Eliot began to help her get out of her shirt. It took a good deal of his training to keep his mind on task and not where her mind seemed to be. She did have a point though - damned shame this wasn't for fun.

He helped her as much as was needed. Once she was down to the damningly tempting bits of matching black silk and lace, he had to center himself for a moment before doing a much more thorough check of the damage Montrose's goon had done. Her torso had born the brunt of it, it was nearly a solid bruise but for some spaces here and there - there were even bruises on her back. Her arms and legs had some defensive marks on them. Add to that the black eye and split lip and you had one Eliot Spencer getting madder than hell as he took in the full picture. He could almost see everything that had been done to her in his mind's eye. He never liked to see a woman hurt, and one that he knew? That brought murder to his mind.

Despite the wincing and sounds of pain, Nica weathered the exam well for the pain she had to be in. If he hadn't noticed her white knuckle grip on the quilt he might have had to worry since she was doing pretty well at hiding her pain. "Well, so far as I can tell you're mostly just bruised. You have a few abrasions that should be cleaned up and wrapped to keep out infection, but as bad as it looks, it's not as bad as it could be. After I clean and bandage those scrapes, why don't you try to get a little bit of rest while I work on dinner. I'll check in on you from time to time and wake you when it's ready." Eliot says in a soft tone.

"Alright." Nica responds simply. She was still taking stock of the injuries his poking and prodding had brought her awareness back to. Eliot was not the only one unhappy with the situation.

"You feel any odd pains or anything starts to go strange you let me know."

"I will." She replies quietly. Eliot moved into the master bath and came back out with a very nice first aid kit. He focused on cleaning up the abraisions and even applied some sort of numbing cream to parts of the black eye and some of the worst bruises on her body. He applied an antibiotic to the scrapes and then wrapped them with clean gauze. When he was done, Eliot turned to slip from the bedroom, leaving Nica all alone. She sighed and tried to get as comfortable as her body would let her. She couldn't help but think how much this sucked.


End file.
